Pambei-led UNLF seeks suggestions-2

Contd from previous issue
IMPHAL, Nov 24: Following imposition of AFSPA 1958, publication of  several journals was suspended and many others were closed down by mid-1980’s, the Pambei-led UNLF’s Central Committee continued. The outfit’s military wing Manipur People’s Army (MPA) was established on February 9, 1987 and it started attacking Indian armed forces in December 1990.
In addition to launching an offensive against the Indian armed forces, the MPA also started a social reformation campaign against drug dealers, drug abuse and other anti-social activities. Even though the armed propaganda and the armed action are complementary to each other, the two have different goals. The armed propaganda was basically aimed at empowering the people to take a united political stand against the alien. On the other hand, the armed actions were aimed at demonstrating that the Indian armed forces can be defeated in battles and combats and thus instil confidence among the people that the liberation movement will certainly end in victory, read the Central Committee’s statement.
Since 2000, the outfit intensified its military offensive against the Indian armed forces and the MPA fought more than 50 battles against the Indian armed forces in the southern part of Manipur such as Sajik Tampak, Khengjoy, Samtal and different places of Churachandpur district. As the MPA was victorious in most of these battles, the outfit created liberated zones.
The series of battles fought between MPA and Indian armed forces over a period of six years gave an unmistakable message to the whole world that the India-Manipur conflict is a national contradiction, not a law and order issue, the Central Committee said. In another word, the armed revolutionary movement seen in Manipur is not an internal issue of Manipur but a political conflict between legitimate political entities, it said.
The biggest political move made by the outfit was the proposal for a plebiscite to resolve the Manipur-India conflict permanently. The outfit made the proposal on January 31, 2005 and it sought to hold a plebiscite under the supervision of the UN so that the people of Manipur can express their choices. In order to hold the plebiscite in a free and fair  manner, a UN Peace Keeping Force must be first stationed in Manipur.
The outfit’s weapons would be handed over to the UN Peacekeeping Force and the Indian armed forces deployed in Manipur must be withdrawn ahead of the plebiscite.
The UN must hand over power to the party which emerges victorious after the plebiscite.